Pakistan seeks early signing of GCC free trade agreement in talks with Qatar

Pakistan has called for the early signing of the Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and sought greater market access and Qatari investment in key sectors during talks in Doha, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Dr Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, co-chaired the second meeting of the Pakistan-Qatar Joint Task Force (JTF) on Trade and Investment on October 24 to review bilateral economic cooperation and explore new trade and investment opportunities.

Pakistan urged Qatar to support the early finalisation of the GCC FTA, stating that it had completed its domestic approval process and forwarded the approved agreement text to the GCC Secretariat on December 31, 2025.

The Pakistani side also called for the removal of restrictions on bone-in meat exports to Qatar, saying it had already shared a technical dossier addressing animal health and food safety requirements with the relevant Qatari authorities.

Both sides discussed cooperation in agriculture, food security, industrial development, information technology, maritime transport and infrastructure.

Pakistan highlighted a proposed government-to-government arrangement between the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Qatar’s Hassad Food for the supply of Pakistani rice. The proposal has been submitted to the federal cabinet for approval.

The country also invited Qatari investment in grain storage, silos, cold-storage facilities, modern agriculture and advanced farming technologies.

In the industrial sector, Pakistan presented investment opportunities in new energy vehicles and electric vehicles, including joint manufacturing, technology transfer and industrial partnerships. Opportunities in IT, digital infrastructure and digital services were also highlighted.

Pakistan further identified potential investment in shipping, including oil tankers, liquefied natural gas carriers and container vessels, as well as the proposed Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, which aims to improve connectivity between seaports, the national road network and regional transit routes, particularly to Central Asia.

The Pakistani side also presented the concept of an investment fund to attract Qatari participation in infrastructure, agriculture, industrial development and other priority sectors.

Both countries discussed the operationalization of 11 technical working groups covering areas such as logistics, aviation, advanced manufacturing, mining and minerals, agriculture, tourism, financial technology, healthcare, education, IT and startups.

Pakistan said it had shared the composition of the working groups and urged Qatar to nominate its representatives so they could begin identifying concrete trade and investment opportunities ahead of the third JTF meeting, which will be hosted by Pakistan.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two ministers signed the minutes of the first Pakistan-Qatar Joint Task Force meeting.

Separately, Jam Kamal met Nan Li Collins, head of the World Investment Forum, in Doha. The two discussed regional economic integration, connectivity and cooperation amid emerging global economic challenges, according to the ministry.